Chapter 25: Divine Crow Peak (Part 1)
At this moment, it wasn't just the Great Elder; in fact, all five of the other elders were staring at Li Qiye! If killing Xu Hui could be explained away as a miracle—after all, anyone can slip up—then one could even argue that Xu Hui had been arrogant and let his guard down, allowing Li Qiye's sneak attack to succeed.
However, the Chaotic Heart Forest was a different story. The Six Great Elders all knew that for millions of years, not a single disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate's younger generation had ever managed to pass through the Chaotic Heart Forest. The only exceptions were Great Sages!
As the six elders stared, Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Li Qiye.
"Replying to the Elder," Li Qiye began slowly, "the purpose of the Chaotic Heart Forest is to throw the heart into chaos. It is not a place that tests one's Dao Practice. As long as one's Dao Heart is firm enough, they can pass through. It has nothing to do with the level of one's Dao Practice."
"Hmph! You're a mere Mortal. Could your Dao Heart truly be firmer than that of a Prince?" Elder Xiong snorted, clearly displeased.
Li Qiye barely lifted his eyelids to glance at him. "Elder, what does the firmness of one's Dao Heart have to do with their Dao Practice? A high level of Dao Practice does not mean one's Dao Heart is firm! Throughout the eons, how many True Saint Emperors have fallen to their inner demons and brought about their own ruin because their Dao Heart was not strong enough?"
"You ignorant brat! Are True Saint Emperors people you are qualified to comment on?" Elder Xiong shouted.
Li Qiye couldn't even be bothered to look at him again. He stated calmly, "I am merely stating a fact. If the elders believe I am lying, you are welcome to go to the Nine Saints Demon Gate and verify it."
Faced with Li Qiye's open defiance, Elder Xiong's eyes blazed with fury. Just as he was about to erupt, the Great Elder cleared his throat. "Let's drop this matter. What is the status of your marriage to Princess Li?"
Even if the matter of killing Xu Hui could be overlooked, passing through the Chaotic Heart Forest was simply inexcusable. Even Saint Emperors couldn't cross it, let alone a Mortal. But to the Great Elder and the others, none of that mattered right now. What mattered was when the Nine Saints Demon Gate and the Xiyan Ancient Sect would be joined by marriage! The Xiyan Ancient Sect of today needed a behemoth like the Nine Saints Demon Gate as a backer.
"That's something you'll have to ask the Nine Saints Demon Gate. It's not as if I have any say in the matter." At this point, Li Qiye had lost all interest in continuing the conversation and simply couldn't be bothered to say more.
"Very well." The Great Elder sounded helpless. He couldn't exactly force Li Shuangyan to marry Li Qiye; the Xiyan Ancient Sect didn't have the qualifications to bargain with the Nine Saints Demon Gate.
The Great Elder nodded and said, "You have performed a great service this time. As per our previous agreement, you will receive what was promised..."
"Brother Gu—" As the Great Elder spoke, Elder Xiong's expression changed, and he quickly tried to interject. However, the Great Elder waved his hand lightly, stopping him from speaking further.
The Great Elder looked at Li Qiye and continued, "First, when you reach the Yun Body Realm, the sect will prepare a portion of Emperor's Body Ointment for you. Second, you may choose one of each from the sect's Cultivation Techniques: a Life Technique, a Body Technique, and a Longevity Technique. Of course, you may choose other techniques, but you cannot select more than three in total. Are you satisfied with this?"
"Acceptable. However, I have one more condition. The sect promised me three requests," Li Qiye said with a nod.
The Great Elder nodded. "Fine. State it."
"I need a weapon for protection. Therefore, I wish to choose either a Treasure Artifact or a True Artifact from the sect's collection," Li Qiye said in a low voice.
The Great Elder agreed with a nod. "Very well. You may choose any one Treasure Artifact or True Artifact from the first three floors. You may also choose a Longevity Treasure instead."
"My thanks to the Elder." Li Qiye finally gave a slight bow before turning and leaving.
"Huairun, you will accompany Qiye," the Great Elder instructed Nan Huairun as Li Qiye departed.
After Li Qiye had gone, Elder Xiong said in a grave voice, "Brother Gu, I'm afraid there's something wrong with that boy. He might be a spy sent by the Nine Saints Demon Gate!"
"Brother Cao Xiong, what makes you say that?" another elder asked, shaking his head slightly. "I don't see it. The Nine Saints Demon Gate today is countless times stronger than we are. They now rule the Ancient Ox Territory and are already a colossal power. Why would they need to plant a spy in our Xiyan Ancient Sect?"
"Brother Sun has a point," an elder remarked. "What could the Nine Saints Demon Gate possibly want from our Xiyan Ancient Sect?"
"That's not necessarily true! Perhaps the Nine Saints Demon Gate is after our Emperor Techniques, especially the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill!" Elder Xiong insisted gravely.
Elder Xiong's words made the other five elders exchange glances. They knew the Xiyan Ancient Sect's situation better than anyone.
"I don't think that's necessary," Elder Sun, the fourth-ranked of the Six Great Elders, said, shaking his head. "Li Qiye holds the Xiyan Ancient Order. If he truly wanted our Emperor Techniques, he could just ask for them. Would we give them or not? Furthermore, if the Nine Saints Demon Gate really wanted our Emperor Techniques, and the Sun Demon Emperor acted personally, I doubt anyone in our Xiyan Ancient Sect could stop him!"
Elder Sun's words silenced the other elders. If the Nine Saints Demon Gate truly wanted to seize their Emperor Techniques, they could definitely annihilate the Xiyan Ancient Sect to do it. If the Sun Demon Emperor himself made a move, who in the Xiyan Ancient Sect could possibly stand in his way? In fact, even if an elder from the Nine Saints Demon Gate were to act, the Six Great Elders knew they would be no match!
"Brother Gu, I still believe we must be on guard. It's better to be cautious," Elder Xiong finally said in a low tone.
"Report this matter to the Sect Leader," the Great Elder finally declared in a deep voice, offering no further opinion on the matter.
In response, Elder Xiong just snorted softly, perhaps as a sign of his dissatisfaction with the Sect Leader.
"The elders suspect Senior Brother is a spy from the Nine Saints Demon Gate," Nan Huairun whispered to Li Qiye after they left the Ancestral Hall. Being a smooth operator, he was an expert at reading people, so he could naturally guess what the Six Great Elders were thinking.
"Let them think what they want." Li Qiye just smiled and shook his head. 'There's a reason the Xiyan Ancient Sect has fallen into decline. These Six Great Elders... despite their positions, not only is their Dao Practice insufficient to reach the Prince realm, but more importantly, not a single one of them can hold his own.'
Speaking of which, Li Qiye asked, "What's the deal with Elder Xiong?" On the day he was to become the Chief Disciple, Elder Xiong had been supportive, but his attitude today was a complete reversal.
"Be careful of Elder Xiong," Nan Huairun whispered to Li Qiye after glancing around. "Second Elder Cao Xiong has always coveted the Sect Leader position and competed with the current Sect Leader for it, but he never succeeded. Later, he wanted his disciple, He Yingjian, to become the Chief Disciple, but the Sect Leader unfortunately refused. He has never given up on the Sect Leader position. Even if he can't become the Sect Leader himself, he hopes his disciple He Yingjian can. Furthermore, Cao Xiong has the backing of the Honored Guest Elders."
"I see now. If I were a good-for-nothing, even as the Chief Disciple, I'd have no chance of becoming Sect Leader. But if I marry Li Shuangyan, that's a different story," Li Qiye said with a smile. He finally understood why Cao Xiong's attitude had changed so drastically.
Nan Huairun nodded lightly and whispered, "Previously, Elder Cao was always watching the Sect Leader's side, afraid that she would accept a talented disciple. The position of Chief Disciple remained vacant for a long time, and he discussed it with several elders on multiple occasions, always hoping for He Yingjian to be appointed. However, the Sect Leader never gave her approval."
"What about the Sect Leader then?" Li Qiye found it strange. Since joining the Xiyan Ancient Sect, he had never once met the Sect Leader, Su Yonghuang. It was as if this Sect Leader was completely invisible.
Nan Huairun shook his head. "The Sect Leader has never resided within the Sect Territory. She has always been cultivating outside. To be honest, I've only seen her a few times myself."
At this point, seeing that no one was nearby, Nan Huairun lowered his voice even more. "There are rumors in the sect that the Sect Leader was forced out by the elders. No one knows the specific details, but in short, she is rarely in the sect. And when she left the Sect Territory, she took a number of Guardians and Hall Masters with her."
Li Qiye couldn't help but rub his chin. "So, our sect is divided into several factions." 'It seems,' he thought, 'the situation in the Xiyan Ancient Sect is even more complicated than I imagined.'
"Some say there are four factions," Nan Huairun explained. "One group of Guardians and Hall Masters follows the Sect Leader. Another group of Hall Masters follows Elder Xiong; they've always wanted him to be the Sect Leader. Then there's the group that originates from the Great Elder's lineage. As for the other four elders, most of them likely remain neutral."
"Does the Great Elder want the Sect Leader position?" Li Qiye asked.
Nan Huairun shook his head. "No one knows what the Great Elder is thinking. I've heard that he doesn't necessarily support the current Sect Leader, but he has never vied for the position himself. However, the Great Elder holds immense influence in the sect. He controls the Law Enforcement Team and is extremely strict, so many disciples are quite afraid of him."
With Nan Huairun's explanation, Li Qiye now had a clearer understanding of the Xiyan Ancient Sect's internal situation. Thinking of this, he just smiled and said nothing more.
Divine Crow Peak was a place of great importance to the Xiyan Ancient Sect—it could even be called a Forbidden Land. Without permission from the Sect Leader or the elders, no disciple was allowed to set foot on it.
At the same time, Divine Crow Peak was also the tallest and largest main peak of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Atop it sat the Triangular Ancient Courtyard, which housed the Xiyan Ancient Sect's entire collection of Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals, Treasure Weapons and True Treasures, Strange Gold Divine Stones, and more.
The security on Divine Crow Peak was extremely tight. It was said that there was a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five—not even a mosquito could fly in. The entire peak was guarded by the elite disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, and under normal circumstances, two of the Six Great Elders would always be stationed there in rotation.
To the Xiyan Ancient Sect, Divine Crow Peak was simply too important. One could even say that everything the sect possessed was stored there.
There was also a legend concerning Divine Crow Peak. It was said that before Mingren Immortal Emperor shouldered the Celestial Mandate, he received a sign from the heavens. A Divine Crow descended from the sky and landed upon this very peak. There, Mingren Immortal Emperor received a divine decree, and so he founded the Xiyan Ancient Sect on this spot.